Roman Genn: Actually, Tommy is correct , the departed was an outstanding citizen.

…tardiness and truancy….graffiti… …jewelry…A screwdriver… no evidence ever surfaced to indicate that the jewelry was stolen…marijuana pipe and an empty bag containing marijuana residue.

You forget the 3 violent incidents involving police including two arrests, an assault on a police officer, an assault on a woman, time spent in a judicial diversionary program, an allegation of sexual abuse from a minor/relative and a homicide.

Of course that wasn’t Tray, it was the new conservative hero George Zimmerman (Tray has not one arrest on his record).

I never understood how black people adopted OJ as a rallying point, believing it to be a race related anomaly. Now I see it’s a cross cultural psychosis.

I will give you kudos for one thing though. Your Zimmerman-shoulda-taken-his-beating-like-a-man theory of the case is far better than anything put forth by the prosecution. · 24 minutes ago

As I said when I wrote it, that was a cultural analysis based upon my life experiences, not a legal analysis. I stand by it.

If this post doesn’t get kicked by the editors when the author calls Tray a dick, I expect equal treatment for pointing out that Zimmerman is a pussy.

Often people lament that younger people today don’t settle matters with their fists as we did back in the day and are too quick to go to guns.

Now we celebrate irresponsible gun use. Why the exception?

Perhaps conservatives see a perceived threat to gun rights from this incident, as do I. The proper response to that is to oppose Zimmerman and assure people conceal carry doesn’t mean the untrained citizen will replace the trained policeman.

Or perhaps, some conservatives find themselves as knee deep in choosing sides based upon race as the media.

Perhaps conservatives see a perceived threat to gun rights from this incident, as do I. …

Or perhaps, some conservatives find themselves as need deep in choosing sides based upon race as the media. · 1 minute ago

Edited in 0 minutes

I don’t take any sides in the case. I don’t imagine that Z was some hero or T was some villain. But you make at least one good point– it just happened that everyone’s “favorite villains” lined up on the predictable sides? Some commentary, not on Ricochet, but on other websites got a bit out of hand I thought. The argument morphed from “Zimmerman acted in self defense” to “Zimmerman is a pretty cool guy and he’sour guy” (more or less).

But Roman’s point–while I wouldn’t have made it that way– seems strong. Martin was giving Z a beating. How’d that happen? Did Z really call the cops and then plan to start a fight? Did Z call the cops and then decide to murder the kid? In the middle of a housing development? Zimmerman probably did get jumped.

Zimmerman called police and accurately reported observations of Martin.

Martin did not.

Martin, not Zimmerman, used a racial epithet.

Martin apparently ambushed Zimmerman and sucker punched him. Miss Jeantel dismissed the fight because she was accustomed to that kind of conduct from Martin. Due to the in limine rulings, Zimmerman’s attorneys could not introduce evidence of Martin’s violent past but she volunteered this one tidbit.*

Martin repeatedly beat Zimmerman in such a way that the absence of severe-to-fatal injury to Zimmerman was lucky. Only then did Zimmerman respond.

However, according to one of the many “facts not in evidence” statements by the prosecution, it was Martin who acted in self defense.

* Edit. This was in the letter she dictated to the Martin family which closed: “In my mind I thought it was just a fight. Then I found out this tragic story. Thank you.”

Perhaps conservatives see a perceived threat to gun rights from this incident, as do I. The proper response to that is to oppose Zimmerman and assure people conceal carry doesn’t mean the untrained citizen will replace the trained policeman.

Or perhaps, some conservatives find themselves as need deep in choosing sides based upon race as the media. · 1 hour ago

Edited 1 hour ago

I can’t speak for all conservatives, but to the extent I am on Zimmerman’s “side”, it was because he was obviously being railroaded by the media/politician/race hustlers.

Until the trial, I was open to the possibility that he was in some way criminally liable.

Canadian Conservative has an interesting post on the Member Feed on the media’s completely different reaction to another white-on-black crime.

Tommy De Seno: I just wanted to make sure I understood correctly that you were calling the deceased minor a dick. · 26 minutes ago

Maybe “thug” is more appropriate for a person committing an unrelenting assault. · 9 hours ago

Tommy, If Martin had survived, and we were not in a PC world, he would have been charged as an adult with aggravated assault/battery (or something like it). Perhaps there might have been some drug crime enhancement.

That’s a conservative charge. One could have charged him with attempted murder with whatever enhancements might be available for racial animus, drugs, and use of a firearm. There is generally more evidentiary and legal support for those charges than what Zimmerman was charged with.

If Zimmerman had died, the available charge would have been murder 1 in many jurisdictions.